good morning and welcome to "morning joe." we hope you're having a great holiday season. this morning, it's the "mo'joe

rewind." >> from governor chris christie to bradley cooper, colin powell to julia louis-dreyfus. another great year of great guests. all morning we'll entry you interviews and discussions of the year. >> we begin with a much anticipated issue of "time" and the 2012 person of the year. who is it, rick? >> unfurl. >> our person of the year for 2012 is president barack obama. >> that's a shock. >> this beautiful photograph. we were in the white house last wednesday. obama posed for a picture, and then we did a terrific interview. the story is by michael scheerer, white house correspondent. and i know you got -- joe, i know you predicted it. i tuned in yesterday. i think it's kind of impossible to do an alternative choice. >> there's sometimes you've got to do that. >> he's a dominant figure. you know, this couple of amazing

statistics, is he the first president since fdr to win with a majority of the vote in consecutive terms. he did that, you know, against an unemployment rate that was higher than anybody has ever won against except for roosevelt, 75 years ago. and i think the -- you know, part of what our story did, michael scheerer really was the first person to write about, you know, the data crunchers in the obama campaign. but all that showed, it wasn't just about demography, but it was about how the country really has changed and really is changing. and these changes that we've talked about are here right now. i mean, this amazing statistic is that mitt romney won the same percentage of the white vote as george herbert walker bush did in 1988 when he won 436 electoral votes. i mean, that's just stunning. and it's an example of how the country has changed. and it's not just a demographic change.

there's a cultural change. and i think obama representeds a cultural shift in terms of how we think about politics, how we think about government, how we think about each other. >> there is a cultural shift, and jon meacham, i thought it was very telling what newt gingrich said about the republican party's challenges. he said they either wake up to the realities that are facing them. this election was much worse for them than they expected, or there will be young voters who will be obama democrats for the next 40 years. this could be a watershed election if the republicans don't respond in the correct way. >> one of the interesting things -- and i wonder if rick in thinking all this out, if what you all made of this -- is, you know, fdr had this legacy. you still had people -- hubert humphrey was still running in 1 1968 as an fdr democrat. one question i have is, is this wave of democrats, and is obama

himself a sui generous figure or is he a kiclintonian figure? >> i addressed some of this. the "r" word, realignment, is something that people are talking about. there was a reagan realignment, and basically you could argue that this is finally the end of the reagan realignment, and there's a kind of obama realignment now. so the question is, is this realignment inheritable? one of the things michael discovered with all of the work that he did with the numbers crunchers is that they started to find in the last six or seven weeks of the campaign these supposedly undecided people who didn't like politics, didn't like realms, didn't like democrats. you know what? they like barack obama. they saw him as someone who was outside of politics. even the first debate which we asked him about, and he had a hilarious answer about, even the first debate they thought, well, yeah, he's not playing the game. so the question is, this -- whatever it is, this 15%, right, is that inheritable by somebody

else, by a classic politician? can hillary clinton still get those voters? will people think that she is outside politics, outside of washington the way that people think of barack obama, which is a wholly new thing. that is sui generis. >> i don't see it like that especially because the man himself is an island unto himself in washington, d.c. >> yes. >> he is not a democratic party boss like tip o'neill. he's not even really connected with the chicago political machine. >> and curiously, people like that. >> he is his own man. that's a great thing unless you are the democrats that want this to be passed along four years from now. >> but is there, in your view, a philosophical way of being that is inheritable, to use rick's word? is this pragmatic problem-solving approach that

clinton began and obama has clearly taken through this four years, five years so far, is the next republican victor going to have to be someone who is less ideological than, say, 30 years ago? >> well, i take exception with the suggestion that barack obama has been pragmatic. he passed a lot of things the first two years by running the democrats and getting their vote. i believe the great historical challenge comes over the next four years. and i think the president going from $250,000 to $400,000, knowing he's going to end up at $500,000 on this debate, i think barack obama has a chance to do what eric cantor told bob woodward after he met him the first time, which is if he's pragmatic, if he comes to the middle, then he could lock us republicans up for a very long time. i mean, i think that's the great challenge for barack obama. >> yeah. >> can he do what he appears to be doing right now with john

boehner? and that is upsetting a lot of people in his own base for the betterment of their party by saying we're going to raise it from $250,000 to maybe $500,000, go after entitlements and do it for the best interests of the country. >> he is a pragmatist. the first two years, it was such a strained situation. when we talked to him on wednesday, everything he said was about -- he wasn't saying government has to be bigger. government has to be smarter. government has to be better. it was like the lincoln line. this is a fantastic picture, by the way. >> that is adorable. >> joe, that's one of the pictures i was talking about. >> you're letting us know, these are all exclusive to "morning joe." >> they're exclusive to "time" and "morning joe." apparently on the night that obama was -- gave his wonderful speech in newtown was the night that malia was in the nutcracker suite, and he wasn't able to see it. so he went over to the school in the afternoon to watch the last

dress rehearsal. and there's a wonderful picture of him sitting by himself and looking out and also taking notes and working on his speech for that night. >> my god, you look at that picture, and you know, just like you knew when he held the press conference, that when he gave that press conference and giving it as the president of the united states, he was giving it as the father of two young girls. >> right. >> and it touched all of us so much. and your cover this week, actually, a dork like jon meacham and myself will recognize, it's different than other person of the year photos. >> yes. >> covers. and it seems to reflect the time that we're in right now. >> yes. i mean, it's a somber and resolute president. it's a darkish picture. we used a silver border, a silver logo. we have four internal covers so that we thought that silver made it seem even more special. it's actually available right now on your ipad. you can spin through the covers. >> of course, i'm one of the four, right?

the internal ones, right? you have me in there? as a runner-up? >> i think you were sixth. >> doggone it, i just miss it had again! >> you're our director. >> yes, thank you. d.w. piner, our director of photography, are really the gurus of how this issue looks, and it looks fantastic. thanks, mike. >> "time" magazine's person of the year is president barack obama. coming up this morning, our conversation with former president bill clinton. director and star of the historical thriller "argo," ben affleck, and emmy-winning star of "veep," julia louis-dreyfus. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks.

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welcome back to "morning joe." what was the biggest economic story from 2012? from the u.s. debt ceiling crisis to the debate over taxes, the recovering auto industry to fears over outsourcing. the economy was a huge driver of the conversation this year. and one of our most compelling

discussions was with harvard business school professor, michael porter, whose new project aims to help american companies compete on the global stage. >> michael porter still teaches, he's, like, iconic. but i'm, like, a little person. he's a big deal. so now i'm at the table with him. >> professor. >> this is, like, wow! >> you wept to harvard business school? i would have never guessed. >> i know. >> keep it low. keep it low. >> not that there's anything wrong. not that there's anything wrong. >> yeah. very good to have you. >> on u.s. competitiveness, where do you come down on this? >> well, gosh, i hate to be -- >> you're going to be debbie downer, aren't you? >> -- off cycle, but this issue is actually way down the list in terms of the problems facing the american economy. harvard business school took on, about a year ago, a major initiative to really take a deep look at the u.s. economy, how we were doing, how we could explain the problems we're facing with job generation and so forth.

and frankly, we came to the very unhappy conclusion that the succes facing a really serious competitiveness challenge. we haven't seen anything like this since 25 years ago in the japan situation, but it's actually even more significant this time, dan, because really the american job generation machine has slowed down dramatically. and we've let our business environment get less and less efficient. we've let the cost of doing business rise up. we've got -- we're losing many, many more investment decisions and business activities to other countries than we're getting back. and yet, the political debate including the one we're having this morning is really not about the really important things. it's not about skills. it's not about the fundamental structure of reforms we need to make in our budget, our tax system. we're kind of -- we've gotten ourselves into a kind of a short-term day-to-day dialogue. we're not really addressing the

real issues. >> a couple things going back to jpmorgan. first of all, we learned time and time that no man, no human being is smarter than the markets. not anybody. that's number one. and number two, with regard to the banks and the size of the bank, we got rid of glass steegle which allowed investment banking to combine with commercial banking because we needed to be big to complete globally. what has it brought us? i would say not so much. is it really true that proctor & gamble and other big companies couldn't get capital to compete globally if these banks weren't big? i don't think that's the case at all. and then in terms of these companies being being and risky, yes, jpmorgan, these banks are big and they pose risks to the u.s. financial system in the ways that other big companies, say, like walmart don't. so it's a very different situation. >> again, we surveyed 10,000 business leaders in our survey. the financial system is still viewed as a strength of america. i mean, yes, we can improve it, yes, we can improve our regulatory structure, yes, there's a lot of complicated

regulatory issues, but that's still a strength. >> really? financial innovation? what have we brought the world? i mean, i don't know. >> we still have superior capital. we still have superior capital access in the united states and most parts of the world. >> i think the professor's completely right on both fronts. i think the real issues we face are the ones he's talking about, not whether jpmorgan should or shouldn't have found this $2 billion trade, whether or not it's too big. let me finish. lloyd's bank of the uk controls 33% of the deposits in that country. in new york city alone, we have 170 banks chartered, yes, some very big ones. our banking system is not as consolidated as other parts. i'm fine with paying to it. but as a distraction from the key issues of competitiveness, jobs, all the things you just said. >> because if we are seeing real slippage or concern in terms of our competitiveness, aren't these, if you look at american companies, airporen't they maki profits, the big ones? how does that play into it? >> the companies are making

profits, but most american companies now are very global. they have operations all around the world. >> their money is elsewhere. >> well, and part of the reason their money is elsewhere, because we've got a crazy tax system. we don't tax multinationals like anybody else. >> is that affecting our competitiveness? >> which countries around the world are you most worried about in your research as the real competitors? >> it's funny. we actually looked at where american companies were considering putting businesses and which companies -- countries we were competing with. you'd be surprised. we're competing with the whole world. there's lots of countries growing up. it's not just china, india, brazil. it's all of the above. back in the days when we were threatened by japan, it was just japan. now we've got a whole bunch of countries, including mexico, that are making radical improvements in their infrastructure, in their business environment, in their skill levels. they're working to drive down their regulatory costs. they're trying to make business simple. and in the meantime, we're just

kind of loading costs encumbrances on our private sector. we've got to start addressing these fundamentals, or the living standards of the average american are going to continue to be under severe pressure for the foreseeable future. >> i agree with all that, but remember, and i think you would agree, that one of the reasons these countries are becoming competitive is because their wages are much lower. we talked about how wages in china are going up. general motors in china pays $5 compared to $55. mexico, $7 an hour. and mexican productivity, as you said, is getting very, very high. so i don't know exactly how we address those challenges without our workers having to take pay cuts. >> i don't believe -- yes, that's a fundamental problem. our workers are not now productive enough to justify those wage differentials. and that's why we're seeing a big loss of activity and jobs overseas. can we be more productive? we're finding lots of opportunities to improve.

you know, we -- more companies in america are going overseas to look for skill than are coming to america to look for skill. we've got to tackle issues like skill. our infrastructure is deteriorating in terms of the efficiency with which american companies do business. coming up, bubba watson's big win at augusta national. the champion golfer stops by. plus, new jersey governor chris christie and actor bradley cooper join us in the same segment? share everything.

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in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours.

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boy, it's been a very difficult and tragic year for so many people just over the last couple months and weeks. we thought we'd pose for a moment this morning and give you a look back at some of the more absurd moments of 2012. >> they chant "four more years." i think the right chant ought to be for them, "four more weeks." >> i've got a lot of fight left in me. >> we're going to get america back and strong. >> we cannot give up on change now. >> jumper away. ♪ gangnam style >> i'm going to be sassy today. ♪ lights >> reporter: yes, the angelic honey boo boo trash talked her way into america's hearts in 2012. >> pop my eyeballs out. >> reporter: the 7-year-old boo boo child became our little

princess. and barack obama became our two-term president. >> for the united states of america, the best is yet to come. >> reporter: we took the slow road to election day beginning with the primary season that often felt like one long "snl" skit. >> and the -- what's the third one there? >> i love this state. i love the lakes. i love cars. i like being able to fire people. 10,000 bucks. >> dechy dechy stand stand. >> the day has been awesome, girl. >> what a snob. >> let me leave with you this. i believe these words came from the pokemon movie. >> reporter: laugh if you will, but early versions of the "gettysburg address" also named pokemon. we should check in with the tanning mom. >> not normal. >> reporter: #jerseypride. now on to the presidential campaign. actually before we do that, do we have that chinese lady vanishing into a sidewalk?

there she is. okay, one more and i swear we'll move on. can i please get the guy who turned his deceased stuffed cat into a remote-control aircraft? >> we have a liftoff. >> reporter: against the backdrop of that controversial dead cat drone program, president obama sought re-election in a campaign where we finally got the sophisticated adult political debate we've longed for. >> it would be obamabaloney. >> romnesia. romney hood. >> big bird. >> thank goodness someone is finally getting tough on big bird. >> reporter: it was an epic battle of the world views. president obama launched 1,000 republican campaign posters when he said that -- >> you didn't build that. >> reporter: true to his word when he said that obama didn't create jobs. when a closed-door chat went public. >> there are 47%. >> reporter: and while all this was going on, joe biden was just generally enjoying himself. >> i always say what i mean.

>> reporter: in the end, neither a dominant first debate -- >> i have no idea what you're talking about. >> reporter: nor a virtuoso convention performance by clint eastwood -- >> what do you want me to tell romney? he can't do that to himself. >> reporter: nor this -- >> you know what i'm saying! >> reporter: could carry him. so close to the oval office, romney now mostly hangs out at disney world. leaving the national stage along with romney in varying degrees of disgrace were general david petraeus, undone by an affair with his own biographer. lance armstrong, stripped of everything including the yellow jersey on his back. and governor rocket rod blagojevich sent to a federal lockup for 14 years for the crime of being a chicago politician. >> then i thought about mandela, dr. king, gandhi. >> reporter: one of blago's old opponents in the illinois state legislature, republican mike bost became a web star this year

when he lost his mind in public. >> i feel like somebody trying to be released from egypt! let my people go! >> reporter: meanwhile down in the florida legislature, there was rigorous debate this year over the meaning of jay-z's song "99 problems." >> aren't you sharp as a tack? are you a lawyer or something? >> in that song, it was the officer who said, "aren't you sharp as a tack or something"? you should try for a lawyer or something. so i got on you that. >> reporter: nobody cared much about the lyrics of 2012's biggest song. it was all about that horsey dance. ♪ gangnam style >> reporter: just as south korean rapper psy and his song "gangnam style" approached 1 billion youtube views, the research on his america-bashing past ended the good times. ♪ gangnam style >> reporter: no such problems for carly rae jepsen whose only crime was planting a song into the personal hard drive of every american for all eternity. ♪ but here's my number ♪ so call me maybe >> reporter: let's see, what else?

oh, nasa dropped a rover on mars. >> touchdown confirmed. >> reporter: a dude broke the sound barrier while sky-diving from the edge of outer space. mark zuckerberg took his little dorm room project public. while another harvard man took over the nba. and still another stunned the country by upholding the president's health care law from the big chair on the united states supreme court. it was enough to make one more harvard guy sing. ♪ i'm so in love with you >> reporter: not quite as strong a year for the harvard of the pacific northwest. reed college, represented here on "wheel of fortune." >> fan, fan, wand! oh! >> reporter: 2012 was a tantalizingly cruel year if you were a lion simply trying to eat a young child at the zoo. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: it was a bad year in new york city if you were a person simply trying to drink a giant bucket of soda. but defenders of food freedom

fought back. with a mashed potato vending machine. an ice cream cone crust pizza and a bacon sundae. our faith was shaken a bit this year when a nun was caught on tape at a convenience store slipping tall boys into her habit. and the oft-mocked doomsday prophecy ultimately came true with the announcement that hostess would stop making the twinkie. end times, indeed. ♪ i will remember you >> reporter: the loss of the twinkie was a kick to the spongy cream-filled american gut. but through that ordeal and others in 2012, we never lost sight of america's true beauty. ♪ america america ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪

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we've decided to we're all having such a great year in the gulf, put aside our rivalry. 'cause all our states are great.

and now is when the gulf gets even better. the beaches and waters couldn't be more beautiful. take a boat ride or just lay in the sun. enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty. and don't forget our amazing seafood. so come to the gulf, you'll have a great time. especially in alabama. you mean mississippi. that's florida. say louisiana or there's no dessert. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. ♪ ramble on for us, watching in the audience the other night was when cam brady started talking about how he was going to bring jobs to north carolina, he said, absolutely nothing, and it sounded just as great as everything mitt romney and break obama are saying on tv. >> yeah. it's very fun to play that kind of character who can sit here and, you know, no matter what

the question is asked of him, say, first of all, i want to thank all of you for having me on the show today. >> yeah, exactly. >> i'm a huge fan. i've always watched the show. i love it. >> thank you. >> thank you for taking the time. i know you're all very busy. and i just appreciate the job you do for all the viewers out there of informing us -- >> exactly. >> -- and what was the question? >> welcome back to "morning joe." that was will ferrell when he joined us this year for his political comedy "the campaign." while real-life politics all too often mirrored that kind of dysfunction, there were some moments when the opposing political sides did come together to get things done. >> you know, perhaps the best moment of bipartisanship this year was when new jersey governor chris christie and the teachers union agreed to a landmark contract that offered merit pay bonuses to the teachers of newark. >> governor christie joined us to discuss the agreement along with the president of the

american federation of teachers, randi weingarten, and bradley cooper. it was weird, but it worked. >> i think it did. >> take a look. >> i'm not exactly sure. sexiest man alive, right? >> listen, what happened was, you know, the folks in newark, cam anderson, the superintendent, joe dell gross sew, wanted to do something different. randi and i were supportive of that. we're the negotiators. and i think we've all decided that we need to do something different. and not only does it provide merit bonuses and provide advancement based upon merit, but it also involves the teachers in the evaluation process as well. and so everybody got around the table and compromised with each other. and now have created a system where it's not no longer just seniority or degrees received, but now it's how you perform in the classroom, and that valuation not just done by the administration, it's done by teachers who are involved as well. everybody has a stake in it. and i think it's going to

improve the quality of education across the city of newark. >> that's fantastic. >> you know, so what you have here, as the governor said, is that you have both experience matters and what you do matter. it's fun anny that people have focused on the $5,000 bonus as opposed to the comprehensiveness of this new system. so what has been aligned is your work that you do every day, the experience that you carry into the classroom, and input at the school level. so that this is a dynamic new contract that's fair -- that's, you know, fair to the teachers, but most importantly, that's good for kids, and that's why it was when people looked at it, that's why they voted it up by more than 60%. but i want to just say one other thing, which is that in all this, sandy happened. >> yeah. >> and the governor did an extraordinary job in terms of all the work in new jersey. and you know, this is the way

government should work. whether it's at the collective bargaining table or whether there is a disaster, you have lots of public employees who every single day are trying to make a difference in the lives of kids, lives of the community. and here you had -- we worked hard at the table to come up with something that was good for newark. >> so chris, what are you doing here? you're hanging out with people in the teachers unions. you're striking deals with democratic legislatures. >> it's not going to work with the base, you know? >> you're actually being nice to the president of the united states when he's coming to help people that have been ravaged by an historic job. what are you doing? >> my job. >> i was going to say that. >> and here's the thing. listen, when randi and i first talked about this, i guess it was last february, we started talking in washington. and we were kind of at a stall point with the locals in terms of their negotiating. and i said to randi, listen, if you really want to do something different, if you really want to try to put merit into this system, i'm willing to negotiate with you. and we would do what we needed to do. and i think that she looked at me and said, if you're willing, i'm willing.

so i think joe, what we're doing is we're showing people that i didn't abandon my principles because i believe merit should be part of these considerations. randi didn't abandon her principles, but we found that boulevard of compromise that exists between compromising principles which neither one of us would ever do and getting everything you want, which you're never going to get. sometimes broad, sometimes narrow. the job of a leader is to find the way out to that boulevard and to make progress for the people of your state. >> because at the end of the day, it was about every time we had a problem at the table, it was about what is going to work for the kids in newark. and what the governor and, you know, the superintendent understood. and joe digrasso is an amazing leader of the new york union. but what we understood was what's going to work to enable teachers who we need to recruit, retain and support to do their jobs for kids. and long term, it's not just individual teachers, but it's

the community of newark. >> congratulations to you both, honestly. >> that's the other thing we've been talking about all along. you want to reward good teachers. you want to reward teachers who excel in the classroom. this now gives us a way to do it. and i have to mention that we wouldn't have been able to do this without mark zuckerberg and the $100 million grant from facebook that we've now raised money to match. >> that's great. >> the fact of the matter is that these bonuses are going to be paid from the money that mark contributed almost two years ago now. and this is what he wanted. what he said to me when we got this together was, governor, use this to try to make a contract in newark that will be an example for the country. when it was voted and affirmed this week, i got a text from mark saying thank you. you kept your end of the bargain. now i'm keeping mine. >> that is exciting. >> that is the third part of the equation, both sides getting along and the corporate involvement as well because which is such an incredible example of what can be done. >> it's exciting, public/private partnership, unions coming

together. it's fantastic. bradley, you're a philly guy. >> yeah. >> that's like a suburb of jersey. >> oh! wait a second. >> by the way, joe -- >> aren't you glad you stayed? seriously. >> don't you know that the subtitle of the show is "good morning, trenton"? >> it is. >> the best is when you're in california, everybody says they're from philly. then when you ask the follow-up, well, cherry hill. you're not from philly, bro. i have a quick question. so you make this decision, you guys come together, logistically speaking, what's the time line for it being instituted? immediately? >> it's a five-year contract, two years have gone already, so there's a bunch of retroactive pay, and they are working on it as we speak. the implementation -- it's a really good question -- because the implementation is probably more important than the actual signing of the contract. but really truly, in schools, every single day, there's going to be these new school improvement committees. we're going to focus on how we not just recruit and retain teachers but how we mentor them, how we support them.

if something is going on in a classroom, how you change that immediately so you don't wait for test scores at the end of the year. it's a really dynamic system. the newark teachers actually have more voice than they've ever had before under this contract. >> and let them know, if you are highly effective, if you go into that classroom, you prepare, you update, you're ready and you show that you're making a difference in these kids' lives, you're going to get paid in a way that teachers deserve to be paid. >> and so -- >> i'm sorry to interrupt. >> i'm sorry. >> i was going to say, back in school, when you took a class where you knew that you never raised your hand, you're never going to be called on, so you're going to be fine. but if you knew your teacher was the kind of guy or woman that was going to call on you, you're going to be prepared every day. and that work will pay off. >> but it's also for -- >> teachers on every level, it all starts with teachers. >> but it's also the comprehensive nature of this new plan because it's, you know, it is every single person who, you know, you're aligning evaluation

and experience. because our job is for all kids, not just for some kids. and then the same thing i want to give props to newark as well because the teacher village was also created at the same time. so there's more teacher housing going in. we're doing more stuff with literacy because it really does -- and you and i have had this conversation -- it really does take a community to actually raise children. >> joe. >> governor, a couple quick questions. first of all, how's jersey doing after the storm? i'll tell you, we flew in last night. god, it's still depressing, flew over parts of long island, just pitch black at midnight. it is a sad, sad scene out there. it is cold. >> it's the worst -- it's the worst storm ever to hit the state of new jersey in its history. we have thousands and thousands of people that are homeless who lost their homes during the storm. now, we're past the immediate crisis. power's back on to all new jerseyians, clean water. 98% of our schools are open.

the only ones that aren't open are the ones that were destroyed, and other districts are picking up the slack for those kids so they can go to school in other districts. and then, you know, we've got our roads open. we're still working a bit on mass transit. so the initial crisis is over. but now it's going to be about how do you rebuild? >> it's the long slog. >> trying to rebuild these people's homes back. i'll tell you, i walked on the jersey shore. what's happening is just extraordinary. >> you've got a great partnership with the president. >> listen, you know, he has done everything i've asked him to do so far. i have no complaints about that. at the end of the day, it's going to have to be a partnership because no one state could rebuild itself after this kind of calamity. this is what the federal government's supposed to be there for, in my view, is instances like this where no one state could do it. this is part of the reason why the states created the federal government. remind everybody, the federal government didn't create the states. the states created the federal government. this is one of the reasons why. >> this is not going that -- i'm

glad that everyone's coming to the table. it's not going to be enough. >> congress needs to come to the table now, too. as you know, joe, there's going to need to be a supplemental bill and appropriations to get this done. and everybody needs to come to the table to do that. >> randi, should we be looking for more examples of what you and governor christie did? is this possibly the future of teacher evaluation and teacher bonuses? >> the import of this is you can solve problems through collective bargaining. if people are willing to get to the table and actually work things out, that is the best way to actually make schools better. >> chris christie, randi weingarten and bradley cooper, thank you. >> thanks a lot, guys. coming up, he looks good in green. masters champion bubba watson from my hometown stopped by after his big win in augusta. it was one of the most touching and emotional stories of the year for us. his father's impact on his game. and he actually broke down and

started tearing up, just talking about his dad and what it meant to him. we'll have that and much more when "morning joe" returns. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. a hybrid? most are just no fun to drive. now, here's one that will make you feel alive.

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no lessons, no problem. this year the man with the unorthodox swing won golf's most traditional tournament. masters champion bubba watson.

and he joined us after he won the green jacket to talk about his love of the game and the man who taught him how to play. so obviously, you broke down on 18 after you won. and a lot of people said, obviously -- and i remember davis love iii when he won, talking about his dad. your dad was there with you on the 18th, wasn't he? >> yes, for sure. for sure. you know, it was crazy. my dad got to go to augusta once before he passed away. it was just an amazing experience to see him there for that one time, the first time i got to go to augusta for the masters. and me and my mom there. we didn't say anything. we just hugged and kept crying. seeing some of the golfers watch me finish up. it was just an amazing experience. >> that was one of the more impressive things, the fact that you had other guys who you've played with who you were on the tour with who were there around the 10th green to share in your

victory, but there's something else. in that game, your game, golf, i mean, which is for three or four years been tiger, is he up? is he down? where is he? you put a smile on the face of golf in the united states. and part of the reason you put a smile on the face of so many people is you're a left-handed golfer. you're off in the rough. and every 16 or 18 handicapp handicappers -- and i might as well take the shot, what could happen. and you take the shot -- >> but he makes it. >> -- and you make this incredible shot. how many times could you make that shot? >> i would say a few times. because i'm used to the rough. i'm used to being in the tree. >> yeah? >> growing up in pensacola, florida, i grew up on a golf course with a lot of trees. i'm used to the pine straw. i'm used to all that. but the shot really wasn't as tough as it seemed. >> by the way, there's our local paper, "the news journal."

"bubba, the master." >> it was a shot that i've done before. i've done it many times. it just never was on tv. i was so focused on that moment on what i had to do. saw where he put his second shot. i knew if i went for par, maybe i could win the masters. it turned out to be 15 feet from the hole which was incredible which surprised me. hitting it on the green was easy. >> i asked him -- and of course he grew up at tanglewood, right? >> at tanglewood. >> i said, did you ever play moores? he said it was a little too fancy for me. not many people saying it's a little too fancy for me, but it is. it's sort of a links course. but speaking of fellow golfers, he's got a lot of friends. and these friends, they don't just sit idly by on weekends. >> no, boy bands. >> here's a little bubba. ♪ come around round one ♪ hit the top top ♪ you know what's the big woop ♪ when i play my game then i

make my mama proud ♪ ♪ smash bang you've got to hit the ball far ♪ ♪ then the crowd goes whoo ♪ i want my birdies all day long ♪ ♪ let the bogeys go and say hey ♪ >> are you shocked, mika? >> those are nice overalls. >> that looked great. >> we were having fun out of there. by the way, i had to buy this. you got yours for free. we talked about this. joe dared me and i did it. yours is a little bit nicer. but you have a relaxed personality. you see that. i've heard a few urban legends about you. we heard the last four places you might want to have your meal, chipotle, inni in'n out burger, waffle house. >> i love a grilled cheese from the waffle house, chipotle, i love the burritos.

lexington barbecue is great barbecue where i have a house. many of those things would be great. >> and i've also heard that you've never bought a suit. >> i haven't. i've never bought a suit. >> do you own a suit today? >> yes, i own two suits today that i know of from the ryder cup and the presidents cup. >> so you've never gone to a polo or a men's wearhouse. that's how you have your suit? >> that's how i have my suits. >> casual. >> exactly. >> you went to milton, right? >> milton high school. >> that's where my dad graduated, milton high, the panthers. did you play on the same golf course? same golf team with boo? >> boo is 5 1/2 years older and heath slocum. they were just out of there. >> speaking of, boo made us all proud in southwest florida, and then he rode his driver down like a horse. >> dad was a green beret. tell us about your dad.

he put a golf club in your hands for the first time? >> for sure. mom made him. at 6 or so, my mom said the only way he could go play golf is if he takes his son. for me, you know, seeing my dad go to the masters, be cheerful of his son, the way he raised me, the way he raised me as a son, as a man, he probably could care less now about the golf. i know he's probably watching from heaven. probably the man that's more important to him than the masters championship. >> he did a good job. >> and what a good man you've become. and you're a father yourself now for the first time. >> yeah, for sure, 6 weeks old, little kayla back hom-- caleb b

home. hopefully when he gets old enough, he'll see that his dad really cared for him. his new dad cared for him. you know, with all these articles, with all these things, with all these tv shows that he sees that i talk about him and love him dearly. >> will you put a club in his hands? >> yeah, as soon as he can start gripping, as soon as he can start walking where he can carry it and start banging stuff around the house. >> so your mom should give you -- or you should give your mom half of the purse. you're only good at golf because she said you're not leaving the house without taking little bubba with you. what did it mean for your mom? or is it the same thing? she cares about the man. she doesn't care about the masters. >> i think she cares about the man more. when we cried and when i cried in her arms, we didn't say anything. we just cried. because it meant so much for our family, meant so much for our friends, the fellow golfers that were there, you know, it was -- the win was about everybody that's influenced me.

you know, you're from pensacola. i've known about you for years. >> i'm sorry about that. >> exactly. >> but you worked through that. >> but it's made me be a better person, not be like you. >> exactly. oh, god, i'm going to hear about that at home for a long time. thanks, bubba. >> you're welcome. no, it's all the people, like we said earlier, boo weekley, heath slocum, watching them grow up, same high school, wanted to play golf like them. joe durant, ben bates, another golfer from that area. all my teachers from high school, all my teachers from college. i mean, just all those people that have influenced me in the right direction. >> isn't it amazing, you look at the pensacola area, you're from there, emmitt's from there, roy jones is from there, of course, alabama had a pretty darn good running back. >> derrick brooks. >> clay richardson. i talked to derrick the other day. >> such a great, decent man. of course, jerry pate who is a pretty darn good golfer himself. it's amazing what comes out of that area. >> it's crazy.

it's a wild -- it's a wild thing to think about all these golfers. you've got five golfers, six golfers in that area that have played on tour. which is wild. >> bubba watson, thank you. still ahead this morning, former president bill clinton, former secretary of state, colin powell, director and star of this year's hit film "argo," ben affleck. and caroline kennedy with secret recordings from inside her father's oval office. ♪ aww man.

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